MIAMI – Today in Aviation, the Comet 1 prototype took to the skies for the first time from Hatfield Aerodrome in Hertfordshire, UK, in 1949. The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was to be the world’s first commercial jet airliner. The aircraft featured an aerodynamically clean design with four de Havilland Ghost turbojet engines buried in the wing roots, a pressurized cabin, and […]
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, French all-business airline La Compagnie (B0) made its maiden flight to New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in 2014. Founded by Frantz Yvelin in 2013, the company was originally known as DreamJet. Its aim was to offer a full business class service using a low-cost structure. The airline started […]
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, VARIG Airlines (RG), Brazil’s first airline and leading carrier from 1965 until 1990, ceased operations in 2006. VARIG can trace its history back to 1927 when the airline was founded by German aviator Otto Ernst Meyer-Labastille. Its first route, known as “Linha da Lagoa” (Lagoon’s Line), linked Porto Alegre, where […]
MIAMI – Today in aviation, British European Airways rebranded itself as low-cost carrier Flybe in 2002 to become Europe’s largest independent regional airline. The airline can trace its history back to 1979 when Intra Airways and Express Air Services merged to form Jersey European Airways. The airline went on to develop an extensive network across […]
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, the first Vickers Viscount aircraft took to the skies from Wisley, Surrey, on its maiden flight in 1948. The Viscount was built as a response to the UK’s Brabazon committee. This was set up to investigate the future needs of the civilian aircraft market for the British Empire following World […]
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, the first of three prototypes of the Airspeed Ambassador took to the skies for the first time in 1947. The prototype utilized in the test program, G-AGUA was piloted by Chief Test Pilot George B.S. Errington. The piston-engined airliner was created by the Brabazon Committee who identified the need for […]
MIAMI – Today in aviation, PGA Portugalia Airlines (NI) operated its inaugural flight from Lisbon (LIS) to Porto (OPO) in 1990. PGA had been established two years earlier as a competitor to the country’s flag-carrier TAP Air Portugal. Initially, only domestic flights across Portugal and a limited number of international charters were operated. Scheduled international […]
MIAMI – Today in aviation, Kai Tak Airport, officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954, closed its doors in 1998. The airport was famed for its nail-biting, roof-top skimming ‘checkerboard approach’ to runway 13. It was named after two businessmen, Ho Kai and Au Tak. The pair helped with the construction of the […]
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, the prototype Avro York (LV626) made its first flight in 1942 from Manchester Ringway Airfield. The British built airliner was a civilian version of the Avro Lancaster bomber, created by fabled aircraft design engineer Roy Chadwick. Chadwick had envisaged the post war demand for a transport aircraft. Despite the deteriorating […]
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, the Embraer ERJ-135 made its maiden flight in 1997. The 37-seat passenger airliner is the smallest of the Brazilian manufacturers’ ‘Regional Jet’ (ERJ) family. Embraer’s ERJ family came about in the early 1990s. The plane-maker identified a shift in regional air travel, away from turboprops and towards jet-powered aircraft. This […]
